LAKE COUNTY ? Northern California is looking at a long and severe fire season with high heat and drought conditions expected well into the fall. Experts say that the western United States is experiencing warmer and drier weather, which extended the fire season by about two months.
According to Anthony Westerling, Ph.D., climate scientist at UC Merced and its Sierra Nevada Research Institute, current weather conditions are contributing to a lengthened fire season. “On the back end of the fire season we can expect it to go longer as it gets drier. It takes more moisture at the end of the fire season to wet fuels and end the fire danger,” he said. “We can also expect the fire season to start earlier because of the earlier snow melt and greater evaporation.”
In the south county area, Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta said that fire fuels are about six weeks ahead of schedule.
“The fuels we see now are more of what we”d see in September,” he said. “It takes very little to get a fire started and the fuels are going to carry that.”
An auto aid response system has been enacted in all Lake County fire districts to ensure sufficient response is rendered in the event of any fire. The system is implemented each fire season. Through the system response is rendered from districts adjacent to that of a reported fire automatically.
“Each district works differently. Kelseyville has an auto aid system with Lakeport Fire Department,” Kelseyville Fire District Battalion Chief Joe Huggins said. “During fire season and out of fire season (we get one engine for any structure fire), it is there primarily for additional resources to get more personnel and equipment on scene.”
Huggins continued, “The more resources and equipment you have, you decrease the chances of that fire growing larger. We reciprocate that with Lakeport. So, if Lakeport has a fire we automatically send an engine.”
A.J. Salido, a firefighter and EMT with Northshore Fire Protection District said that educating the public of the heightened fire dangers is essential to maintaining public safety this fire season. “Earlier, drier conditions and rapid heat spells are making our jobs a lot harder,” he said. “People need to be proactive. Knowing that they live in a wildland interface, residents need maintain a defensible space around their homes.”
Defensible space requirements have been increased from 30 feet to 100 feet. The goal is to protect property while providing a safe area for firefighters. Clearing an area 30 feet immediately surrounding a structure is critical as this area requires the greatest reduction in flammable vegetation.
The fuel reduction zone in the remaining 70 feet, or to the property line, will depend on the steepness of the property and the vegetation. People should also take effort to remove flammable materials, such as firewood and other flammable debris, away from their home.
Large trees do not have to be cut and removed as long as all of the plants beneath them are removed.
This eliminates a vertical “fire ladder.” To achieve defensible space while maintaining a large stand of trees with a continuous tree canopy prune lower branches of the trees to a height of six to 15 feet from the top of the vegetation below. Remove all ground fuels such as fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, pods, small branches, etc. so that surface litter does not exceed a depth of three inches. Ideally, grass should not exceed four inches in height.
For more information or for further fire prevention tips visit www.fire.ca.gov.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
